
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 27, 1993                   TAG: 9306270136
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: D2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From Boston Globe and Associated Press reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

1ST PICK GETS $12 MILLION FROM OTTAWA

The Ottawa Senators stuck to their promise and made Alexandre Daigle the first pick in Saturday's National Hockey League amateur draft. They then went about stirring up a mess in the league's salary structure, signing the sensational 18-year-old center to a five-year deal worth a reported $12 million.

"I'd [rather] be his father than his general manager," said Boston Bruins president/general manager Harry Sinden. "He's fortunate we didn't have [the first pick]. He's about $11.5 million richer than he would be."

Characterizing Daigle's deal as "Barry Bonds kind of numbers," Sinden was not alone in his distaste. His old buddy, Edmonton boss Glen Sather, also found the figures troubling.

"Sick," said Sather, whose highest-paid Oiler last season, goalie Bill Ranford, earned about half of Daigle's $2.4 million average. "Is he going to be an impact player like [Eric] Lindros or Wayne [Gretzky] or Mario [Lemieux]? Those players are genuine superstars. He's not as good as an established player who's proven his worth.

"It's absurd. There isn't any sanity."

In other hockey news:

In Montreal, NHL scoring champion Mario Lemieux married his longtime girlfriend, Nathalie Asselin, in a ceremony at historic Notre Dame Basilica attended by almost 400 guests.

Cheers of "Mario! Mario!" greeted the wedding party, which arrived in seven limousines and several buses, escorted by a police motorcycle squad.

The couple's 2-month-old daughter Lauren was brought to the church by a relative.

by CNB